DOVER, Del. – Norfolk State softball did the work themselves this weekend, as a Saturday doubleheader split with Delaware State officially secured a MEAC Tournament spot for the Spartans. NSU won the first game 7-2 before the Hornets were able to salvage one contest of the four-game series with a 9-3 win in the nightcap.
The Spartans moved to 12-7 in the league in their last MEAC games of the season, 19-14 overall. They needed to win at least three of four this weekend at The Hornets Nest to officially clinch a bid and avoid having to scoreboard watch next week. The Spartans did just that after sweeping a doubleheader on Friday to start the series.
NSU had 12 hits in game 1 on Saturday, including a 3-for-3 day from junior Denisha Megginson. Junior Gabby Vaughan hit 2-for-4 and drove in three runs thanks to a triple and home run, and senior Jazzmaine Hammond also had a pair of RBI.
Vaughan had two more hits in game 2, and senior Tuli Iosefa hit a two-run home run as NSU was unable to complete the sweep. Only four of the nine runs DSU scored in the second contest were earned, thanks to five Spartan errors.
Junior Joana Holland improved to 3-0 on the year after getting the win in game 1, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing three hits and two runs, one earned. NSU's 12 hits came against three different pitchers for Delaware State (11-20, 9-10 MEAC).
The Spartans had eight extra-base knocks among those 12 total hits. Three came in the first inning when sophomore Imani Moore tripled, Iosefa doubled her home, and Vaughan later followed with a two-run homer for a 3-0 lead.
Megginson singled in the second, and freshman Kerris Cameron doubled before Hammond tripled both home to put the Spartans up by five. The Hornets prevented any more damage until the sixth, when Megginson tripled and pinch runner Alison Guckin scored on a wild pitch for a 6-0 lead.
Vaughan tripled home the last run of the game for NSU in the seventh, while DSU scored two on a pair of RBI hits in the bottom of the seventh to prevent being shut out for the third straight game. NSU ultimately shut out the Hornets for 20 straight innings to start the series.
Iosefa finished 2-for-4 as well in game 1.
The second game also started off well for NSU, which plated a pair of runs in the first when Moore singled and scored on Iosefa's team-leading sixth home run of the season. But DSU's bats began to wake up.
The Hornets plated four runs in the first thanks to five hits in the frame. They tallied 13 hits for the game, including four more in the third when they widened their lead to 7-2. Two errors on the Spartans led to two unearned runs in the sixth for Delaware State. Cameron's sacrifice fly in the seventh capped the day's scoring.
Maikyla Nelson (4-4) earned the win after allowing six hits and three earned runs in all seven innings.
NSU will finish out the regular season with a four-game non-conference series at Radford on May 4-5. This year's MEAC Tournament will be hosted by Norfolk State on May 13-15 at the NSU Softball Field.